Roar Guru
Joined March 2014
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a Forward. proctor of the Bullingdon Club, retired Barrister. Once ran 100 meters unassisted.
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I must acknowledge Bluesfan, who germinated these thoughts, and apologise to Wilbur Smith – this is no story of the courage of a single person in the face of oppression and adversity, or the conversion of a drop of water into a waterfall – this is a story of the numbers, plain and simple.
‘Indolent’ is an adjective that means wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy, arrogant and disrespectful. That’s the summary of Folau’s performance against the Western Force last month.
It’s the mid-season breather in MotoGP. Normal service resumes in two weeks at the Chez Grand Prix.
One of the beauties of the northern hemisphere summer is meeting my whisky mates on Islay, of the west coast of Scotland.
If the AFL gave you a magic wand to change only one rule to improve the game, what would it be?
As one stumbles around the internet and life, you accidentally learn a few things about rugby. Here are some things about the game I learned recently.
If the IRB gave you a magic wand to change one rule to improve the game, what would it be?
Every sports fan has months of the year that they mark in their calendars as their favourites. For me those months are February and October.
I worked with a group of Englishmen who introduced me to Fantasy English Premier League – I performed poorly until I learned that picking a side to win a fantasy league is entirely different to picking a side to win an actual game.
Since 1990, only New Zealand and France have had no foreign-born coaches. The South African Roarers are about to hit “reply in disagreement” but the legendary Sharks (and Boks) coach, Ian McIntosh was born in Zimbabwe.
As a merciful distraction, the spring tour teams to Europe have been announced.
The great shame is that we expect rugby to imitate life. We expect every pass to stick. But, guess what, we are human.
Jeez I like the look of the Brumbies. Shame they’ll lose Friday!
Super Rugby Round 1 teams: Tahs unveil new-look centre pairing, Ma'a Nonu set for Blues return
You post some really stupid stuff mate. If they’re rested they won’t play so can’t get injured. It’s a non sequitur. And you suggest that if all Tahs Wallaby players are rested then the Tahs list has sufficient depth to still top the table. Rediculous comment. And as for your dross on the Rebels, read Wayne Smiths article today in the Australian.
Could 2019 yield the closest Australian conference yet?
Enjoyable read thanks but I stopped before your teams review because I can’t abide by anyone else’s opinion!!! Yes kiwis on top (except for the blues), saffers and us third. Bulls in between. And frankly I don’t care if I never see another Tahs game. In fact, I’ll make that a KPI this season.
A bloke, the weather, other codes and Super Rugby 2019
Good point. Imagine the options for Hooper: 6, 7, 11, 12, 13….
But I’d still like to know….
Steve Hansen went on a fishing expedition in Wellington
So, with three selectors, will selection be a simple majority with selectors having an equal vote?
Steve Hansen went on a fishing expedition in Wellington
Interesting article James. How would we catch these games in Oz?
Rugby has been bobbing around North America for a long time. I had a club season in British Columbia 1980 – (BC rugby first played in 1889) ..had a few games across the border in Seattle and California, but not for the sport…!!
Major League Rugby Season 2 is ready to be unleashed
Hello Zakaia – a pleasant read for a Sunday arvo, thanks.
We are evolved social primates who for maybe 275,000 years lived tribally and achieved as a collective. For most of that period we communicated face to face. Now, society has been atomised. We live in individual states and communicate remotely. Twitter, Facebook, various apps, and every site such as The Roar, give folks who don’t have the intelligence or personal strength a platform to sneer and snipe because they’re too darn weak and spineless to do so in person. Don’t take it personally. When I come across these folks I say to myself “your opinion of me is none of my business” !!
Rugby knowledge isn’t gender dependent
Peterson is a global phenomenon and author of 12 Rules for Life. He’s entirely uncontroversial if you want to get your life together. Those who believe in trigger points and safe places, won’t like his philosophy…..
2019: The battle for the soul of Pasifika rugby
Nic you are the Jordan Peterson of Union: I learn something every time you post!!
2019: The battle for the soul of Pasifika rugby
Your’e right, Tahs haven’t recruited widely, but they do have largely the same squad – the negative being they were pretty disappointing last year
Enjoyed the article Mitch, and especially that you foresee Rebels finishing #1. I agree.
Unpacking Super Rugby: The Australian conference
According to Dennning “without data you’re just a person with an opinion’’…..
A not-too-early look at Super Rugby 2019: Part 1
Yes, that’s a fact Tom, but as for an improvement to the competition…?
mmmmmm….can’t think of any….can you? If not, I’ll take it as an opinion and reserve my right to disagree – ????
A not-too-early look at Super Rugby 2019: Part 1
Thanks Bro! Same to you. Tony Brown and Jamie Joseph – inspirational players and now coaches!!
A not-too-early look at Super Rugby 2019: Part 1
Hello Tom – “it lifted the standards of the tournament overall” – how? Give me an example please how the removal of the Force lifted standards?
A not-too-early look at Super Rugby 2019: Part 1
‘Tis the season to be jolly – good positive stuff my man! A few things:
– Scott Johnson only starts in March so his ability to positively influence the mad-house will be limited. The inmates will run the asylum until then.
– why do you think SA will finish ahead of the ABs in the championship?
– do you know (does anyone?) what the deal is with RWC TV – likely to be free-to-air or do we have to listen to Foxtel commentators?
The greatest year in rugby history is coming
Now you’re taking dirty talk I like on Xmas day…mmmmm…. stats….regression to the mean, or central tendency, occurs with a sufficiently large sample size from a data set with a finite level of variance. So let me tell you where you’re wrong to conclude our mean is about 5th – in the last 30 or so years the factors confronting rugby have evolved materially changed – in other words the variances in the data sets make comparisons – like aggregating data over time into a single population – unreliable.
The variances in the data set, over time, include, but are not limited to: professional rugby, demographics, ability to change rep country, migration, TV and consumer behaviour, the ARU, composition of the national team, competition from NRL and AFL, school funding, government policy, and probably many more.
I’m sorry Elvis and EFF, as much as I’d like to support your statistical treatise being Xmas and all, but the variances are not finite, thy exist within, beaten and across the data. So no regression!
Maybe the last 3 yrs is all we can rely on in which case I can say with absolute certainty (r2=1) that we are ranked 8th.
Is Twiggy’s trailblazing GRR a curiosity, or will it catch on?
Yawn..
There are some serious issues at play.
This is not one of them
Karmichael Hunt to join Waratahs: Report
Johnson has worked for two world-class coaches, but Cheika’s pig-headedness will be the challenge. It’s impossible to work constructively with some-one with a tin ear.
Cheika survives the axe as Rugby AU bring in Scott Johnson as director of rugby
As Chairman, Clyne wasn’t hired as an administrator. He’s there to provide leadership, no 1. To support and make the Management effective and accountable, to drive the strategy, and as the public figurehead.
RA’s published 10-point strategy is abject nonsense. As the document that provides the roadmap where the board want rugby in this country to be, it’s poppycock and juvenile, a banal feel-good cover-all-the-bases recepie, much like unsalted watery gravy.
Rugby Australia is turning into Fort Freefall
It’s a play-thing for Clyne. When you retire age 46, you need something to amuse yourself. Regrettably, he hasn’t amused us.
Rugby Australia is turning into Fort Freefall
My money’s on the Rebels. QC will be determined, focused and disciplined – enough to win the 10 jumper back. And with a SR season playing with Genia, he’ll do it.
Rugby Australia is turning into Fort Freefall
you are too kind…..
McKenzie manage to inspire those rat-bag youngsters in the Reds back in 07/ 08 (I think it was) – quite the opposite has occurred in the past few years.
The power of '1' - an ontology of numbers
That’s nonsense. Fox have been so ultra-competitive to the extent they now monopolise much of the media. That’s the purpose of competition buddy – to win and ultimately monopolise. However, the perfect definition of a capitalist is ”to maximise the rate of return on an investment.”
You’re wrong either way.
How Fox Sports has been cheating itself and rugby fans